Knitting device



Jan. 30, 1951 RQBERTSQN 2,539,479

KNITTING DEVICE Filed Jan. 21, 1949 INVENTOR LOU/E H. ROBERTSON ATTORNEYPatented Jan. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KNITTING DEVICE LouieH. RObertsomElizabeth, N. J.

Application January 21, 1949, Serial No. 71,847

6 Claims.

This invention relates in general to a knitting device and, inparticular, to a hand knitting devlce.

In the art of knitting it is well known that hand knit articles arehighly prized and that they are, in general, much preferred over therelatively cheaper machine knit articles. Unfortunately, hand knittinghas always been a tedious process and a highly skilled art requiringnear perfection for the production of satisfactory results.

Now in accordance with the present invention there is provided a handknitting device whereby a hand knit article of the finest workmanshipcan be made in a minimum of time by a worker with a relativelysmallamount of experience.

An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a hand knittingdevice characterized by easy and convenient use to produce a knitarticle of excellent quality.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a hand knittingdevice comprising a frame on which knitting can be built and a primaryknitting member, or needle, adapted t feed and gu de a knitting threadon and about the arms of the frame.

Additional objects of the invention as well as its construction, use,and operation will in part be obvious and will, in part, become apparentfrom the following description and in conjunction with the drawings, inwhich:

Figure l is a top plan view of a knitting frame such as, for example, acoil according to one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the coil shown in Figure .1;

Figure 3 is 'afront elevation of :a 'primaryknltting'member adapted foruse in conjunction with a knitting frame according to this invention;

Figure 4 is a side elevation in cross section of the primary knittingmember shown in Figure 3, taken along the line -4;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of a knitting device in operationaccording to one embodiment of the invention, with a partially completedflat-knit article thereon;

Figure 6 is an end cross section of the member shown in Figure 1, takenalong the line 6--.6; and

Figure '7 is a side elevation of a primary knitting member according toanother embodiment of the invention.

The secondary knitting member or frame ll shown in F gure 1 comprises arelatively sturdy coil or the like, cons sting of a rod-like member l2in the form of a circle, oval, rounded rectangle,

or the like, characterized by ending in two substantially parallel,adjacent arms [3, terminating in opposing directions and overlapping atleast partially over their lengths. The ends or tips T4 of these armsare tapered to smoothly curved points 35 whereby they are adapted toreceive threads of a'knit article being formed thereon.

The coil II is constructed of a durable and relatively stiff,self-supporting material such as metal, wood, natural or synthetic.plastic, .hard rubber, or the like, and is characterized by being atleast sufficlently flexible to permit the arms l3 to retain themselvesin an adjacent position one alongside the other and yet to be reversedin relationship by a simple twisting operation. As shown in the figure,these arms may be slightly operated or they may, if desired, liesubstantially together.

This primary knitting member or needle shown in Figures3 and 4 comprisesan elongated, atleast partially hollow, tube-like member or shank 2|having a curved or head member 22 integrally extending from one endthereof, and optionally extending at an angle therefrom. This headmember 22, like shank 2! is hollow, and the hollow or passage 23 thereinis a common passage extending substantially through the length of head22 and opti nally at least partially through the length of shaft 2 I,terminating in opening 24 substantially at the tip of head member 22 andterminating at the other end in opening 26, op .tionally at the oppositeend of shank 2|. For

ease of use and operation, the tip of the head member is preferablysmoothly, but not sharply pointed, whereby it is adapted to be insertedbetween adiacent threads or under loops of knitting threads.

In F gure '7 there is shovvnanother embodiment of the structure of theprimary knitting member or needle wherein the rearward opening 25 of thepassage is short of the end of the shank, and wherein the base end ofthe shank or shaft is optionally enlarged and shaped as a handle for thepurpose of easy use and o eration.

Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, there are shown therein preferredfeatures of a specific embodiment of the frame or coil of this inventon.

As shown therein, the coil member H terminates in adjacent andoppositelydirected'arms 13 which extend overlappingly along each other.Along at least a portion of the length of arms I3 there may be recessesor grooves 34 with side or defining walls 32 and 31:3, extending backfrom the points 350i the arms and preferably "for a distance at leastsomewhat farther than the length of the armoverlap and, if desired,extending entirely around the coil I I. These grooves may lie in anydesired plane, lying generally alon the front face of the coil and, ifdesired, facing somewhat upward or downward; however, as shown in Figure6, a preferred embodiment of the invention contemplates that therecesses lie substantially in a common plane substantially verticallywith respect to the frame member. The tips l4 and 35 of the framememberor arms l3, as shown in Figure l are preferably curved somewhat forwardfrom the face of the coil, and thus the tip is tapered to a smooth butnot sharp point extending slightly forward from the front face of theframe.

In Figure 5, the knitting device, comprising the coil ll of Figures 1and 2 and the needle of Figures 3 and 4, is illustrated in a position ofoperation. According to this figure, a knitting thread or yarn 40 hasbeen threaded through passage 23 of primary member 23 and has beenintertwined into a partially completed knit article. Member .20 has thenbeen inserted under the last formed loop 4!, carrying the workingportion of the knitting thread with it, guiding the thread 36 around thetip M of arm l3.

The use and operation of the knitting device are readily apparent fromthe position of the respective members in Figure 5. The formation of anew loop or stitch is completed by withdrawing member 25 from under loop4i and pulling thread 40 with an even, sure tension. Member 26 is theninserted under the next loop, between the loop and the frame and withingroove 361. Member 26 is then passed therethrough to the position shownin Figure 5, with the thread once again looped around arm 13, and isagain withdrawn as .be-

fore, forming a second new stitch or loop. This process, carried out inrepetition, is the process corresponding to conventional purling.

To perform the operation known in the art as ,knitting the process justdescribed is modified in that the needle, with thread at the back, isfirst inserted in the opposite direction (from right to left) throughthe loop and is then reversed to guide the thread around the tip of armH3. The

primary member 28 is then withdrawn as before,

and the steps repeated with the next loop. This process, in repetition,corresponds to the conventional process of knitting, and the twoprocesses in varied repetition yield a knitted and purled I article.

The starting operation or casting on is performed in much the samemanner as the operation of knitting. A loop is formed around the upperarm E3, member 20 is passed therethrough from right to left and is thenreversed to guide the thread under and about the tip of arm l3. Theprimary member is withdrawn and tension is applied to leave a secondloop on the arm. This process is repeated until the desired number ofstitches are cast on, whereupon the knitting and purling operations arecommenced. By varying the procedures, by casting on additional stitchescontinuing the formation of new stitches until 4 the end of the row isreached. The unfinished stitches will then be on the upper arm, and mostof the finished stitches on the lower arm. The knitted piece is thenmoved along the extension of the upper arm in such a manner that thecompleted stitches are slipped off the end of the lower arm. The frameis then turned so that the front of the knitted piece is toward theworker. The arm, which formerly was the upper and which now supports therow of incomplete stitches, becomes the lower arm. The needle is theninserted under the first stitch on the lower arm in the proper directionfor a knit stitch or a purl stitch as the case may be, and the threadfrom the end of the needle is guided under and about the tip M of arm l3as described above.

When th knitted piece is completed, binding 01f may be accomplished byinserting the needle tip under the first stitch, leaving a loose loop,withdrawing the needle and inserting it first through the loose loop andthen under the second stitch. A loose loop is left, the needle withdrawnand again inserted first through the loose loop and then under the thirdstitch. This process is repeated until a single loose loop is left. Theneedle is then inserted through the final loose loop, the thread isbroken and the loose end drawn taut.

This device is particularly adapted for the formation of circular knitarticles and, in particu lar, small circular knit articles such as tiesand small socks. Since the arms of the frame according to this inventionare not actively used in directing of the knitting yarn, said arms arenot required to be readily mobile and, accordingly, the frame may bevery small in length or circumference and still have the limited degreeof mobility required for use and operation.

In the process of circular knitting with this new device, a frame of theproper size is chosen and stitches are cast on in the desired number.The final stitch is joined to the first stitch by inserting the needlethrough the latter. The thread is then guided about tip Id of arm l3 inFigure 5 and the process, whether knitting or purling, is continued aspreviously described, until the desired length of the piece is attained.At any desired stage in the fabrication of the knitted article, circularknitting may be discontinued and fiat knitting begun. For example, asock may be circular knitted down to the heel, the heel fiat knittedwhile the incomplete stitches are held at the rear of the frame, andcircular knitting resumed after fiat knitting of the heel is completed.

The advantages of this new knitting device as well as variations andimprovements therein will largely be apparent from the drawing and theforegoing description. For example, as an over all advantage, thisdevice is capable of producing a high grade knit article even in thehands of a relatively unskilled worker. Inasmuch as this device operateson the novel principle in hand knitting of building a knit article on afixed member or frame which is adapted to act only passively to receivethe knitting operations, the device avoids numerous difficulties commonto the prior devices and methods. Thus, the active and positiveknitting' operations are all performed with member 29 which acts todirect and control'the travel of the knitting yarn, thereby permittingaccurate and positive control throughout the operations. Likewise, thepresence on the frame member of two arms which are firm, yet flexible,is a great aid in maintaining an even tension on the knit article, thusavoiding the frequent unevennesses characteristic of much hand knitWork.

With respect to variations according to and within this invention, itwill be apparent that numerous changes may be made without departingfrom the scope thereof. For example, the primary knitting member, orneedle, may be fashioned as in Figure '7. Knitting thread from the mainsupply is threaded through opening 25 and emerges through opening 24.For convenience in maintaining proper tension on the knitting thread,the thumb or finger may be pressed against the thread at opening 25 whenthe needle point 22 is disengaged from a stitch. Pressure of thumb orfinger is then released to ermit thread to feed easily through theneedle. By the same token, variations of the frame member may also bemade. Thus, for example, the unitary frame member may be replaced by aframe member 0r coil consisting of two or more separable parts, adaptedto be assembled into a single member terminating in opposing arms. Theseand numerous other variations will be apparent to those skilled in theart, and are not to be considered as departures from the scope of thisinvention.

I claim:

1. In a knitting device frame consisting Of an elongated rod formed in aloop with the arms in opposing directions, adjacent, overlapping andsubstantially parallel over a significant portion of their lengths, agroove along at least one of said arms and near the tip thereof.

2. In a knitting device frame consisting of an elongated rod formed in aloop with the arms in opposing directions, adjacent, overlapping andsubstantially parallel over a significant portion of their lengths, agroove along each of said arms and near the tip thereof.

3. In a knitting device frame consisting of an elongated rod formed in aloop with the arms in opposing directions, adjacent, overlapping andsubstantially parallel over a significant portion of their lengths, agroove .along each arm for a distance at least greater than the lengthof overlap of said arm.

4. A knitting device comprising, in combination,

a frame consisting of an elongated rod formed in a loop with the arms inopposing directions, adjacent, overlapping and, substantially parallelover a significant portion of their lengths, and a gently pointed hollowneedle adapted to receive a knitting thread therethrough and to guidesaid thread about the appropriate arm of the frame.

5. A knitting device comprising, in combination, a frame consisting ofan elongated grooved rod formed in a loop With the arms in opposingdirections, adjacent, overlapping and substantially parallel over asignificant portion of their lengths, and a gently pointed hollow needleadapted to receive a knitting thread therethrough and to guide saidthread into the groove under a previously formed stitch and about theappropriate arm of the frame.

6. A knitting device comprising, in combination, a frame consisting ofan elongated grooved rod formed in a loop with the arms in opposingdirections, adjacent, overlapping and substantially parallel over asignificant portion of their lengths, and a gently pointed hollow needlebent at an angle of approximately 45 within one inch of the tip andadapted to receive a knitting thread therethrough and to guide saidthread about said frame.

LOUIE H. ROBERTSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 606,215 Hill June 28, 18982,208,124 Dunn July 16, 1940 2,399,264 Semonsen Apr. 30, 1946 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 542,047 Great Britain Dec. 23, 1941,

